


Next Christmas

by Aushina



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Asuna mentioned, Moonlit Black Cats mentioned, Reading this scene in Progressive broke my heart, Takes place during the Aincrad arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:35:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22580338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aushina/pseuds/Aushina
Summary: "Well... I'm glad you had a good time. If only we could have gotten a cake prepared.""Yeah. But... we can save that for next Christmas."But we all know how Kirito's second Christmas in SAO went.
Kudos: 5





	Next Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I -devoured- the Sword Art Online: Progressive books once I got them (only 1-4 so far). I realize the whole relationship with Kirito and Asuna is different than what it was originally (from the implication I got, anyway), but I love that we get to see each floor and also that their romance gets more build-up than it did before. Kirito and Asuna experience their first Christmas in Aincrad in the third book and the whole thing is super cute. And then Asuna mentions next Christmas, and my heart just broke. Because next Christmas Kirito is going to be broken and alone. All I could see after reading Asuna's words was Kirito gearing up to fight Nicholas the Renegade, totally prepared to die, while her promise of 'next Christmas' echoed in my ears.  
> And this is why I shouldn't read straight through the night. I get dramatic when I'm tired.  
> Anyway, I really wanted to write out a scene that best conveyed that pain I felt and now I can inflict that pain on y'all.

Our first Christmas Eve trapped in _Sword Art Online_ actually wasn't terrible. It probably would have gone better if I had remembered it before the day, but the joy on Asuna's face while we walked through the Dark Elf fortress couldn't be beaten. Even better was our reunion with Kizmel. So what if my present ended up being swim shorts with a blazing orange bear on the rear? I hadn't been expecting a gift anyway.

My partner's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Kirito."

"Er... yes?"

Asuna shrugged her shoulders before meeting my eyes. "Um... I said this before we went to the bath, but I mean it--thanks for today. It was more enjoyable than any Christmas Eve I had in the real world."

A moment of silence passed before I could ask, "What kind of Christmases did you have back there?" After all, a Christmas trapped inside of a death game wouldn't make most people's top ten best Christmases.

She hummed, one of her feet gliding in thoughtful circles through the thick carpet. A small smile lightened her face. "There was one time we were supposed to stay home because there would be a family Christmas party, but my father and mother didn't come home until very late, and I had to eat the cake by myself... Actually, that was pretty much every year."

"Oh... I see..." I hadn't been very big on Christmas for the past few years so I couldn't think of more comforting words. I fought to keep any sympathy from showing on my face, afraid the proud fencer would interpret it as pity. "Well... I'm glad you had a good time. If only we could have gotten a cake prepared."

Despite my less than positive response, Asuna's smile had spread even wider. "Yeah. But... we can save that for next Christmas."

"Next Christmas, huh?" I muttered to myself while in bed that night.

***

It felt like an eternity since then. Asuna and I had split a few months later and I joined the Moonlit Black Cats. Maybe because I was feeling lonely after having travelled with a partner for so long. No, that's wrong. I had no right to feel lonely. I had left Klein behind at the Town of Beginnings to save my own skin. I only teamed up with Asuna because it made strategic sense. As soon as we no longer needed each other, we cut ties. Whatever reason I had to join the guild, they were dead now. Because of me.

I barely feel the chill in the air as I walk through the town. I vaguely try to recall its name but I quickly give up. The name of the town doesn't matter, just my reason for being here. It's the crunch of snow under my boots finally making it way to my ears that clues me in to the change in the weather. I glance around with dull curiosity at the white flakes in the air and the crisp blanket covering the buildings and the roads. Christmas lights shine cheerfully along every building and players chat merrily in the street. Already, footprints dot the ground, giving me a wide berth. Looking back, I notice a long line of my own tracks behind me. A flicker of surprise at my inattention lights its way through my chest before dying away just as quickly. A brief, familiar voice echoes in my ear, promising a better Christmas next year. But it, too, fades before long, leaving me alone and numb once again.

With a careless shrug, I turn my attention back onto my current purpose and start to make my way to the town square again.


End file.
